Templates FAQ
Welcome to the free CSS templates website’s general questions and answers section. Here you can find all those common questions and answers about the CSS templates and the site. However, feel free to contact us if you think we have left out any of your questions.
What are website templates?
In web speak the word template means the exact same thing as it does in real life. It is something for you to follow and use to your advantage that means that you do not have to start a given project from scratch. In the specific case of the internet, a website template usually refers to a pre-designed website layout that you can use with your own content in order to get a nicely designed website without having to pay a lot of money or learn a lot of the code on your own.
What about CSS templates?
Well, CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheet. In the old days of the internet when there was only the HTML programming language for people to use, people had to use a lot of HTML code in order to format their content the way they wanted it on the page. As the content grew and the internet matured, that code began to get progressively more complicated until it got to the point where using HTML to edit the layout and content and format of a page was not viable anymore.
The answer to that problem was CSS, because CSS allows you to store all of the formatting information for the page in one file and all of your content in separate HTML or PHP files. CSS templates are pre-done style sheets that will already have formatting for the different types of text in them and what that ultimately means is that the template is something that you can use with a website without having to actually understand how the code works. If you do understand how the code works however, then CSS templates provide you with a ready-made and easy to edit set of code that you can plug into your website immediately.
How do I build my own CSS templates?
The best way to do so would be to learn the code first! If you already happen to know what the code for building the templates is, then your best bet is to get a text editor and just plug away until you happen to come up with something you like. Examples of good text editors are Programmer’s Notepad and Metapad, although you can’t go wrong with the good old Notepad that comes with Windows (or the Simple Text that comes with the Mac Operating System).
If you don’t want to learn the code or want to have a more visual approach to things, then using something like Adobe Dreamweaver (formerly Macromedia Dreamweaver) would also allow you to build your own CSS templates. You can also try out the StyleMaster CSS editor.
Are your CSS templates really free?
Yes, they are! In fact, all of the CSS templates that are offered in the website are easily downloadable and displayable under the CCA 2.5 license (Creative Commons Attribution), which requires you to put a link back to our website somewhere on the main part of your site. However, as long as you do that, you are free to use the CSS templates in any way you please. Please spread the word about our free CSS templates to your friends as well. J
Can your free CSS templates be used for commercial purposes?
As previously mentioned, the answer is a resounding YES! But at the same time, there are a number of things that you have to be aware of if you are going to be using the CSS templates offered here in some sort of commercial endeavor.
Firstly, you need to be aware of what the CCA 2.5 license is. CCA stands for Creative Commons Attribution and it is basically a way of making sure that people that create things end up getting full credit for their work. Therefore, you must link back to us if you want to have the commercial use of the free CSS templates (or any use for that matter).
Secondly, you can not copyright these CSS templates. Even though you might be using the templates in a commercial purpose, that does not mean that you claim the right to those templates exclusively. You are not allowed to take any form of legal action against someone else using the same templates, because these CSS website templates are freely available to anyone to use.
And finally, it is beholden to you to let your customers know that you are using CSS website templates that are available for free from our website if you are using the templates themselves as part of a commercial package.
I can’t find an exact template design which I’m looking for. Do you take requests?
Yes, we surely do take requests. All you have to do is send us an e-mail with contact information and what you want in the template. We do not fill every single request that we get, but since you’re getting it for free it never hurts to try!
How can I stay updated with new template releases?
Easy! Subscribe to our RSS feed.
Do you have banners that I can use in linking to your website?
While we do thank you for your interest in linking to us, banners are at the moment not available. While we do expect to have them soon, at the same time a text link is more than enough for a link.
Can I use your templates with a CMS?
Of course! You can take the templates available on this website and port them to everything from WordPress to Drupal to any other content management system (CMS) imaginable. The only thing that you have to worry about is making sure that you credit us with creation of the CSS template through a link back to the website.
Is there a way to use a template without linking back to you?
Yes, through making a donation. Contact us for more details on this point.
Do you have any WordPress Themes available?
Actually, we do have some free WordPress themes available for people to make use of and you can download those and use them under the same conditions as the other templates. You can download them and use them with your blog as long as you make sure to credit us with a link.
Do you keep track of who has your templates and is using them?
Our templates are offered for free to anyone that wants to download them and we do not keep lists of people that download our templates. If you are trying to get in touch with someone using one of our themes, your best bet is to contact them directly.